Meeting Minutes – 7 May 2012
On May 7, 2012, one hundred twenty members and guests of the Wilson County Beekeepers met at the Ward Ag Center. President Carey Mitchell called the meeting to order.
- The minutes from the April meeting were approved.
- Melissa Everidge of the T-Shirt Committee reported that design #3 (Beehives on stumps) was selected this year and there will be a color choice of light yellow or white. The membership voted to sell them at $15.00 regardless of size. Orders will be from now until the June picnic with delivery set for the July meetings.
- Danielle Drueck, Farm Day Coordinator reported that the schedule was full and they were ready for the 2nd graders on May 9 and 10.
- Last month we voted to provide 8 scholarships for first-time conference attendees. If you are interested, let Petra know as she is starting a list and the drawing will be at the July 23rd meeting.
- We were reminded that beetle traps are available for $1 each and it was recommended using 2 per hive body.
- Field Day is scheduled for May 19 with a weather alternate of May 26th. We have four yards set up (2 in Lebanon, 1 in Mt. Juliet, and 1 in Watertown) Members were asked to sign up at the yard closest to them with Petra. Plan on being there to start at 10:00 am. Attendees were asked to bring their smokers and protective clothing. Each yard owner was provided a case of water and a bag of smoker fuel to be used.
- Pigeon Mountain Trading Company sent a medium size bee jacket for a door prize. We will be raffling it off for $1.00 per chance with the proceeds going to HomeSafe, our charity for June. We will give it away at the June picnic, and you don’t have to be present to win.
- Carey mentioned the Africanized Honey Bee colony that was found in East TN. Also, he had a simple Holst Milk Test for AFB and EFB. Copies were circulated and can be found on our website: wilsoncountybeekeepers.org.
- Greg Tomerlin reported that Michael Bush, author of ‘The Practical Beekeeper’ will be speaking at Trevecca on the June 3. The cost will be $10.00 or less. He will post details on the website once they have been finalized.
- Petra reported that the June picnic will be June 4. The club will be providing the barbeque and buns, soft drinks, and coffee. Members were asked to bring a covered dish or a dessert and donations for HomeSafe will be collected this year. Wish list will accompany the invitation. Volunteers were asked to bring regular tea, sweet tea, and lemonade.
- Fred Dawson monthly To Do’s:
1. Inspect colonies for queen cells, congestion, queen right, stores
2. Watch for swarming
3. Place empty or partially drawn supers on top of brood chamber—then full supers
4. Checkerboard
- Our guest speaker for the evening was Barry Richards with a great power point presentation on Observation Hives.
- Karen Dawson informed us that the Master Gardeners’ 2012 Spring Festival and Garden Tour is Saturday, May 12 from 9-4.
- Carey reminded our next monthly meeting is the picnic on June 4 in the East/West Building.
- The evening’s door prizes are as follows:
1. Frame Feeder, donated by Mann Lake was won by Melissa Everidge
2. Bee Ball, donated by Charlie Wrenn was won by Rob Johnson
3. Concrete Stepping Stone made by Peter Klaes was won by Dawn Johnson
This month, we had a few old members rejoin our group and a few new ones, bringing our membership count to 226.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm for fellowship and refreshments provided by the membership.
Wilson County Beekeepers 
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